This is the last card of the Major Arcana. This card completes the cycle of life. When this card appears in a spread there is a sense of achievement and culmination. Success is at your door and you are ready for new beginnings. You also feel satisfaction of a job well done. Reward and triumph are at the root of this card. But this is another card that speaks of change. Sometimes radical; such as moving to a different country, changing careers, or partner – it may be associated to travel; your life could change as the result from a journey. This journey could be educational or spiritual as well.The World describes “worldly”accomplishments and success due to hard work and determination. You may wonder what your next step is at first, but it is advisable to find new goals.The World is an import card; it carries a strong sense of promise and ability. If times are difficult, it is indicating hope – do not restrict yourself, do not immerse yourself in self pity. This card is encouraging you to give it your best shot, and have faith in yourself. You will achieve a cosmic consciousness, and liberation.If this card appears up-side down; success has yet to be won. Your fear of change could be holding you back; you might be too attached to your residence or job. Or maybe you just lack vision at the moment.

This completes the Major Arcana. But we still have the Minor Arcana, like a regular deck of cards the Minor Arcana consists of 4 suits; Wands, Pentacles, Cups and Swords. They go from Ace to King with a Page added between the 10 and the Knight. Each card is as full of meaning as the cards from the Major Arcana. Next week we begin with the suit of Wands, so don't forget to keep coming back. If you want to make sure not to miss a posting follow me on Twitter @NeroliBooks.

When Judgement appears in a spread it may be asking you to give someone a second chance, forgive them or it could be telling you to acknowledge your fault. This card warns against judging without seeing the whole picture, including your own role in creating the situation. If this is the case, you need to forgive and not let it dominate your life. You need to let go. If you are feeling judged or feeling bad about something you did and are looking for forgiveness, wishing you had done things differently, this card expresses the need to say you’re sorry and mean it. Judgement could also represent rebirth and rejuvenation; the renewal or awakening of a relationship; the transition from depression or the need to give yourself a second chance. Sometimes we are our own worst adjudicator. If the card appears up-side down; it may indicate disillusion, a failure to find happiness, a separation, divorce, or the loss of worldly goods.

When The Sun shines we can feel all the positivity it brings; love, joy, creativity, affection, spontaneity. These qualities enrich us, whether we are at the receiving or the giving end of these gifts. The Sun could be describing a joyful event that will bring exciting opportunities; anything from the birth of a child, a new relationship, marriage, or a project that will bring many great possibilities. The Sun is one of the most positive cards in the entire Tarot deck. It carries life enhancing energy and love. If it represents a person; The Sun is showing how this person brings happiness, contentment, and warmth in your life. Should this person disappear it would feel like a light was turned off, you would truly feel the emptiness left from his departure. But The Sun also bears a warning; you mustn’t loose yourself in this person, keep a certain autonomy -do not create an overbearing dependency. The Sun symbolizes our sense of identity. Should this card appear during a difficult time in your life, it brings hope and promise of better things to come, reminding you to stay positive. Simply put, The Sun is the pleasure we feel (and should cherish) from the simple life. If The Sun appears in your spread upside down: future plans may be clouded, or there may be trouble in your relationship, it could mean a broken engagement, or a possible financial loss.

Nothing is quite as it seems; the moonlight plays tricks on us – its light alters the appearance of our environment. Or are YOU choosing not to see the whole picture? You might be feeling like you are in a fog. The situation is confusing, cloudy, nothing is clear-cut. People are not being honest with you (or you might not be straight forward with others). You may start to wonder if you are not imagining things and might want to confront them to get the truth.

When The Moon appears in a spread, you might not be seeing the situation for what it really is. You should be on guard and aware of what is going on, however difficult it may seem. On the other hand you might be the deceiver and The Moon could be warning you that you are playing a dangerous game and that you might be found out. If the Moon appears in your spread, beware of delusions.

We go from the most fearsome card (The Tower) to the most positive card of the whole Tarot. This card is even nicknamed “The Wish Card”. When the Star appears in a spread it brings encouraging news, it tells you that things will get better, dreams may come true. But nothing comes without effort, for your dreams to come true or for things to take that positive turn you will need to do something to help things go forward. The Star is simply shinning the light on all the possibilities. Should you be in a position where you have everything anyone can possibly want from the material world and that you still feel a void inside, this card could be encouraging you to look inside yourself and taking a more spiritual approach to life. Like Temperance, the Star speaks of balance between all areas of your life; creating an environment that is both fulfilling and nourishing.

If there were ever a card to be feared in the Tarot, this would be it. When The Tower appears in a spread, be prepared for drastic changes. You won’t be prepared for this, it’s gonna come out of nowhere. Radical, shocking and often unexpected; you may experience embarrassment, loss of status, reversal of fortune. Your life will be turned upside down. It could be emotional trouble (infidelity, public let-down, disappointment), financial trouble (bankruptcy, bad investment) or both. But whatever happens, you will survive. Once the dust settles and you start reminiscing you will realize that the signs were there, you simply failed or chose not to see them. You were probably hoping that everything would resolve itself without any effort from your part.When all is said and done life will be better than before. The hardship is necessary to reach a better place in your life, it may take a while and much effort to reach this degree of satisfaction but it will be well worth it.

The Devil describes enslavement, bondage to someone or something. Often describes some form of addiction from which it is very hard to break loose, whether it is substance or relationships. No matter how big the problem may seem, it is not impossible to break free. This card is telling you to do something about it! The devil is telling you that it is time to break free from this self entrapment. Don’t be afraid to seek help. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Occasionally but rarely, it might represent a spiteful or malevolent person causing havoc in your life.Either way, you need to break free!

Adaptation, coordination, self-control, harmony. Temperance urges moderation in all things. This card warns against overdoing it, stepping out of line, or being separated from what nourishes you (physically and spiritually). Temperance advises to be frugal, self-controlled, and careful. Some type of harmony must be achieved to successfully blend various areas of your life, find balance between your material and spiritual world. When Temperance appears in your spread adjustments are required in your life: if you are working too hard you need to slow down; if you are caught in a bad relationship, you need to end it; if you are spending too much money, you need to cut back; if you are being too hard on yourself, you need to lighten up; if you are abusing drugs or alcohol, you need to be kinder to your health; etc... You get the picture. Temperance is not telling you to be perfect, quite the opposite; moderation, compromise and patience are the key words in this card. Temperance speaks of the importance of balance. We all need a blend of spiritual and secular elements in our lives. Sometimes, this card might describe someone who will be a good influence in your life. It could be a friend helping you through a hard patch, a mentor or a counsellor. Or, YOU could be filling this role for someone else. If this is the case, beware not to let it get to your head and keep the balance in your life.

Rarely describes physical death, as most people would think. Death represents an end of an era to allow for something new to begin. Transformation (whether subtle or dramatic) is in the works; fundamental changes altering the roots of your world. This card is telling you to cut back on the old to leave place for the new. You will continue to struggle against forces beyond your control until you accept to let go of the “dead wood” in your life. When the Death card appears in your spread change is definitely required, if you are considering changes in behaviour, counselling or therapy might help you sort out the hardships and find ways to improve your life. Whatever you decide, whatever happens the experience will have a profound and lasting effect; renewal, birth of new ideas, new opportunities. If the card appears upside down: you may find yourself in temporary stagnation, inertia.

When the Hanged Man appears in a spread most likely your life is in limbo. You may find yourself stuck between two chapters of your life, in a kind of pause. You have no control over this, as you might be waiting for someone else to make an important decision that might have a great impact on your life. The past is gone but the future is not yet here. The Hanged Man is telling you to live in the moment, learn from it and accept that you are in limbo. It might even represent somebreathing time between two important phases of your life. On the other hand (when the card appears upside down), the Hanged Man could be urging you to look at things from a different perspective, this may happen of its own accord when your life takes a radical turn. Or it can be telling you that nothing will change until you can change your perspective due to arrogance or resistance to spiritual influences.

Get to Know Your Tarot

The magical and mysterious world of the Tarot has been around to guide us for hundreds of years. It is actually unknown exactly when the Tarot appeared or where it originated. There is much controversy about its birth but one thing is for such it was not invented by the poor. The first Tarot cards recorded were painted on parchment, or thin sheets of ivory, silver or even gold.

In this section I will help you get acquainted with the meaning of each Tarot card. Every Friday, I will present a new card starting with the Major Arcana. There are a total of 78 cards in the Tarot, though 22 in the MA, which is believed to be symbolic of the human experience.